Daddy
by Liliumity
Summary: The bond between a father and his daughter is a mysterious one, indeed. A story of family, and of growing up. It all begins with a late night and a pack of ramen.


**This fandom does not have enough family fics in it. There can never be too many family fics.**

**Many thanks to my beautiful beta-pimp-goddess-senpai Mipiko for her help! And to Naty17 for dealing with my whining for critique.**

**This story's idea has been in the making for a bit now. I hope you enjoy, and without further ado, here's the first chapter of "Daddy". - Lili**

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Whatever it was that was pulling on his jacket needed to stop.

Dell groaned softly, burrowing his head further into his arms. He was so tired, and so _comfortable_. It had to be some kind of crime to wake a man when it was this late. He had no intention whatsoever of getting up. Nada. None. Zilch.

"Daddy, wake up!" said a little voice, sweet and marred by a childish lisp.

And there went any and all resolve to stay asleep he had, thrown right out the window. The man mumbled to himself and allowed a crimson iris to flick open. The oddly colored orb looked down and to the side at the voice's source, a toddler with fine blonde hair and sky colored eyes. A pudgy hand was firmly attached to his jacket sleeve, and she tugged once more. "Get _up_, Daddy."

He sighed, slowly sitting up and pulling his arms over his head into a hard stretch. Dell ran a hand through his messy silver hair, mussing it even more. "Rin," he yawned, "why the hell are you up at…one in the morning?"

The girl pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Daddy never made supper, so Rin stayed up."

The man stopped his leisurely stretching with a start, eyes darting from the clock again to his daughter, panic etched across his features. "Oh shit."

"No bad words! Put a quarter in the jar!"

Dell shook his head, barely registering her. He'd fallen asleep. He'd been so absorbed with studying the new patient's files that he'd fallen asleep without realizing. How long had Rin been waiting? Damn it. He got out of his chair and scooped up his daughter, balancing her on his hip as he went out of his home office to the kitchen. He set the little blonde down on the counter and began rummaging through the cupboards. Did they even _have_ anything? When was the last time he went grocery shopping anyways?

He rubbed his eyes with his hands and moved aside the box of Raisin Bran. Sitting behind it was a single pack of chicken-flavored ramen. Thank God. He was saved. Grabbing the packet, he ripped it open with his teeth as he pulled a sauce-pan out from one of the lower cabinets. Rin watched her father from the counter as he dumped in the noodles, snatched out the flavor packet, and filled the pot almost to the brim with water. She sucked her thumb as Dell put the pot on the burner and turned on the heat. He stepped back with a sigh of relief as the water started to boil.

The albino turned to his daughter and placed a hand on her head, gently patting her. "Food'll be ready in a minute, kid." The blonde wrinkled her nose and removed her thumb from her mouth to speak.

"Daddy needs to put a quarter in the jar," she reminded. Dell chuckled weakly before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a coin.

He handed it to her, rubbing her head a bit. "Take care of it for me, please?" Rin nodded and hopped off the counter, rushing towards the living room. Dell smirked at her back and leaned against the counter, covering his face with his hands.

This wasn't the first time this had happened.

As Len often put it, Dell was a workaholic. Dell couldn't deny the truth to his brother's claim, but he'd been trying more ever since Rin was born. There were still nights, though, when he got home from the hospital and sat down to finish some paperwork in his office and would fall asleep or just got sucked into his task. Rin never seemed to be too upset by it, but it didn't stop Dell from feeling guilty on such occasions.

Three-year-olds shouldn't have to wait until one in the morning for their suppers just because their dads are idiots.

Sighing, Dell's fingers itched for a cigarette. He reached into his pocket to pull out his smokes and slipped one into his mouth. He didn't have anything to light it, but this would do. The taste of tobacco on his tongue was a welcome relief. The man grabbed a fork and stirred the noodles in the pot, turning off the burner when they got soft. He was just dumping the seasoning into the water when Rin reentered the room, squeezing her stuffed bunny to her tiny chest.

"Go ahead and sit, Rin. Food's just about done," Dell said, stirring in the powder. The blonde nodded to him and sat at the table, sucking her thumb. He noticed the way her eyes would occasionally close and then snap back open, and he mentally kicked himself as he dumped the ramen into a bowl for her. He set the bowl in front of Rin, handing the sleepy toddler a fork. She yawned, rubbing her eye as she took a sloppy bite. Dell sat down across from her, watching her eat.

Rin shared no features with her father, having (fortunately) inherited her mother's coloring. Her hair was a light blonde, reminiscent of young marigolds. The girl's eyes were a soft sky blue, though now they were half-lidded with lack of sleep. She'd inherited her father's pale complexion, and the funny way her golden eyebrows arched up when she concentrated. Her rosy lips curled into a yawn, and she slurped up the last bite of sodium-soaked noodles. The girl shoved the broth towards Dell, who drank it without complaint. He was thirsty, and it would go to waste otherwise. Rin didn't like the broth, or 'juice' as she called it. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked across the table to her.

"Ready for bed?" he asked, standing. The girl nodded, rubbing at her eyes again and reaching for him across the table.

"Carry Rin, Daddy," she whined sleepily. Dell smiled slightly and picked her up, cradling her against his chest. Her little blonde head burrowed into the worn cotton of his t-shirt. He didn't mind carrying her, and she was a cuddly kid. He liked to feel her warmth against his chest, to feel the fluttering beat of her heart near his own. She smelled good, too. Like baby powder and lemongrass. He carried her down the hall and into her bedroom, gently placing her into the mountain of pillows and stuffed animals she kept on her bed. There was one Rin-sized hole in the middle of it all, where she would curl up in a ball and sleep, clutching her favorite toy of the week to her chest.

He pulled the light orange comforter over her, untied the bow from her blonde hair and laid it on the nightstand. Rin smiled sleepily as his calloused hands undid the knot, leaning into his touch. Dell rubbed her hair gently, kissing her on the forehead. She gave him a wet kiss on the cheek, hugging her little arms around his neck tightly.

"Sleep tight, Rinnie. I love you."

The girl stretched and snuggled down into the pillows, closing her eyes. "Night-night, Daddy. S'okay you forgot again. I love you anyways," she mumbled, before sleep claimed her. Dell stilled his gentle petting of her head and just sat, watching his daughter sleep.

"Good night, Rin."


End file.
